


Cabin in the Woods

by SailorChibi



Series: Keeping On verse [4]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Age Play, Angst and Fluff, Baby Q, Comforting, Communication, Crying, Daddy James Bond, Diapers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fear of Flying, Gen, Headspace, Infantilism, Little Headspace, Little Q, Non-Sexual Age Play, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-SPECTRE, Protective Alec Trevelyan, Protective James Bond, Q Has a Fear of Flying, Vacation, alternate universe - littles are known, caregiver alec trevelyan, caregiver james bond, daddy alec trevelyan, nappies, non-sexual infantilism, platonic cuddles, the boys are getting a vacation, thumb sucking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:47:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24082318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: Moneypenny follows through on her promise to get Q, Alec and James out of the city for a proper vacation.
Relationships: James Bond & Alec Trevelyan, James Bond & Q, James Bond & Q & Alec Trevelyan, Q & Alec Trevelyan
Series: Keeping On verse [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1447996
Comments: 22
Kudos: 252





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Moving right along with the sequel!

Numb was the only word that Q could come up with to describe himself as he climbed out of the car. Or maybe detached? He was overwhelmed with everything that had happened during the past forty-eight hours, and so didn’t protest when Alec put a hand on his lower back to guide him into the building. He silently followed James into the lift and leaned into the corner, closing his eyes.

He therefore missed the worried looks that James and Alec exchanged, but it was just as well. Q lacked the emotional capacity to do anything about their concern right now. It was taking everything he had to hold himself together and not freak out about everything. Sooner or later, the impact of it all was going to hit hard – but MI6 had not been the place for that to happen.

Moneypenny had sternly ushered the three of them out of the building not twenty minutes ago, telling them all to go home and pack. They had stopped in Medical just long enough for Wood to click her tongue at James and shove some antibiotics, painkillers, and a couple of other medications in his direction, along with a set of strict instructions. Whether or not James would actually take any of said medication was another matter entirely.

“Huh,” James said once the door had been opened, and Q belatedly realized that neither he nor Alec had ever cleaned up after the night that Medical had come to retrieve James. Moneypenny had eventually taken both of Q’s cats to a kennel, where they remained now. Q swept his eyes over the mess and cringed, exchanging a guilty look with Alec.

“No big deal,” Alec said with forced humour. “We can clean up after we come back. Moneypenny’s given us a timeline we’re supposed to stick to, so there’s no time now.” He moved his hand up to Q’s shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. “The cars will be here within the hour.”

“Car _s_?” Q asked, puzzled.

James and Alec looked at each other before James said, “Moneypenny has arranged for us to travel separately to the airport. We’ll attract less attention that way. There will be a couple of decoys leaving at the same time.”

He said a few more things, but honestly Q was no longer listening. His stomach had clenched at the word ‘airport’ and he suddenly felt nauseous, though he did his best to hide his reaction. He _hated_ flying. One of the reasons that he had agreed to work for MI6 was that M, the old M, had promised that he would rarely have to do it. For some reason, he had never thought to stop and think that a vacation somewhere equalled flying.

“Q? Are you okay?” Alec asked, his voice gentle.

“I’m fine,” Q said over the dull roaring in his ears, swallowing hard, and walked down the hall on weak legs. He thought he had some anti-anxiety medication left after the last flight he had to take. He dug around through his nightstand until he found it, and took one hoping it would help.

James was surprisingly good at packing, and in due time had his own bags and Alec’s ready by the door. Q wasn’t even sure what to bring but managed to put together a bag with some clothing, his laptop, and a few other things. How could he pack for a vacation when he wasn’t even sure where they were going? He hesitated over his favourite stuffed toy before sliding that into his bag too.

“Ready?” Alec said, sticking his head into the room. “The cars are here.”

“Yeah,” Q said, standing up. His palms were clammy. He rubbed his hands on his jeans and went to pick up his bag, but Alec got there first. A quick frown flashed across Alec’s face when he felt how light the bag was, but he said nothing and instead led the way back to the door.

There were three cars out front and several agents, all of whom James and Alec seemed to know. Q was hustled quickly into a car; he barely had the chance to sit down on the seat before the car was pulling away from the pavement. He looked over his shoulder, heart thudding in his chest when they turned a corner and he could no longer see he flat – or those standing in front of it. 

“Please put your seatbelt on, Quartermaster,” said the agent who was driving. “It’s a safety issue.”

“Right,” Q said thickly, putting his seatbelt on. He clasped his cold hands in his lap, hoping that the low buzz of panic crawling through him wasn’t as visible on his face as he thought it might be. Though even if it was, anyone looking at him probably would have mistaken the cause.

Because Q wasn’t worried about himself, or even that preoccupied with the coming flight. His sole thought was on what might happen to his caregivers. James and Alec would be fine, he told himself firmly. They were both 00-agents traveling in the company of other agents. It was ridiculous to be this alarmed at being away from them. It was unlikely that Blofield would try anything this soon anyway –

Though a little voice in the back of Q’s head whispered that maybe now was the ideal time to try because James was still weak. Despite all MI6’s medical breakthroughs when it came to the recuperation of the human body, it would be a few days at least before James was back to his normal self. And everyone knew that Alec was off his game after what had happened. Neither one of them were up to their normal speed…

Q bit his lip so hard that it hurt and forcefully wrenched his mind away from those kinds of thoughts. Even if he _were_ with them right now, or even just one of them, there wouldn’t be anything that Q could do. He wasn’t even licensed to carry a gun. And even if he was, he wasn’t nearly as skilled with one as James or Alec. It was as though their weapons were an extension of their bodies, not something for them to use. So that would make Q a liability and meant that it was best they had separated.

He tried to focus on that thought as he quietly submitted to two car changes, one of which involved walking half a block in the rain before he was permitted into the back of a cab. A different silent agent climbed in next to him. Q lurched back against the seat at the cab unexpectedly took off, tires squealing in a way that had to have caught the attention of anyone nearby. 

“We’re heading for the airport now,” the agent said, startling him. “It’s a private airport. When we get there, I ask that you remain in the car and allow me to get out and make sure everything is okay.”

“Okay,” Q said, knowing that the agent wanted an answer, and looked back out the window. They exited London and drove for about twenty minutes before the car left the main road. Then, after another fifteen minutes, they finally came up to a large building.

The car drew to a stop and the agent got out. Q was left sitting in silence, looking through the plexiglass at the back of the driver’s head. This would be an opportune moment for someone to kidnap him, he thought belatedly. But of course, nothing of the sort happened. The agent eventually came back to the car and opened the door, giving Q a short nod. Q took that as the permission it was and got out.

His heart thudded with a fresh burst of adrenaline when he spotted the plane idling on the runway about two hundred feet away. It was smaller than he had hoped it would be, probably only big enough to carry a handful of people. He walked towards it and shortly spotted Alec talking to what had to be the pilot. Seeing him was enough to make Q feel a bit better, because at least Alec had made it safely.

“006,” the agent said when they were within earshot, and Alec’s head swivelled.

“Q,” he said with a look of relief, before adding to the pilot, “Thanks. We’ll be ready to take off as soon as James gets here. The sooner, the better.”

“No problem,” the pilot said, offering Q a small smile. “I’ll finish up the pre-flight check now.”

“All good?” Alec asked the other agent.

“All good,” the agent replied. “I’ve got to finish up. I’ll leave you to it.”

“Finish up?” Q repeated, looking at Alec.

“The diversion. Moneypenny’s set up three different planes to leave at the same time, so Blofield won’t be able to track us as easily. I tell you, for a plan that has so many different steps, she pulled it together amazingly quickly. MI6 is lucky to have that woman,” Alec said, the admiration plain in his voice as he reached out and set a hand on Q’s shoulder.

The touch was nearly enough to make Q fall apart. He wasn’t expecting that, and just barely managed to swallow a sob before it could escape. But not fast enough – Alec’s eyes narrowed, because of course he was paying extra close attention to Q now. Q turned his face towards the ground, digging his nails into his palms as he fought to regain control. The numbness was fading too quickly, leaving a roil of emotions behind that Q couldn’t handle. But he had to. He had no choice.

“Q –” Alec began, but in an extraordinary stroke of luck, another car drove up and quieted him. James and a couple of other agents emerged, and Q had to close his eyes from the pure _force_ of sheer relief.

“Everything okay?” James said as he joined them; his long-legged, easy stride meant that no one would have guessed he’d been in the hospital for several days before now.

“Hmm,” Alec said, shooting Q a curious look that Q pretended not to notice. 

James’s eyes flicked between them, seeing far too much; Q hunched his shoulders, trying not to look at them or at the plane. Now his heart was pounding for a different reason, particularly when the pilot returned and beckoned to the three of them. He was a little lightheaded as he crossed the pavement, knees threatening to weaken and dump him on his arse as he followed James up the steps.

The plane was more spacious inside than he’d anticipated, with three rows of half a dozen seats. James chose one and Q scuttled after him, sliding into the middle seat beside him even though there was ample room for them to stretch out. Alec followed, sitting down in the aisle seat. That left Q comfortably enclosed between the two of them, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

He wanted _more_. He wanted hugs and cuddles, he wanted a bottle, he wanted his toys, he wanted to sleep, he wanted to –

The airplane rumbled to life beneath them. Normally Q was pretty good at keeping his composure; most people that he flew with didn’t even know that he was scared to death of flying. But this situation was far from normal, and Q was at the end of his rope. The frightened whimper spilled out before he could stop it.

Instantly, there were arms wrapping around him from both sides. James guided Q’s head down against his chest, letting Q bury his face into James’s shoulder, while Alec took both of Q’s hands into his and let Q hold on as tight as he wanted to. Q squeezed his eyes shut, not even caring the position was uncomfortable thanks to the armrest digging into his belly and his glasses pressing into his face and swallowed another whimper as he felt the plane begin to move.

Yet somehow… huddled between his caregivers, it wasn’t as scary.


	2. Chapter 2

The flight seemed to last forever; it was a few hours, at least. Q breathed a sigh of relief when they touched down and hurriedly got to his feet. In his rush, he was the first one off the plane. They had landed at another private field, so there was no one around. But there was a truck parked a few feet away. Alec walked over to it and gave the vehicle a quick but thorough onceover while James spoke to the pilot.

In due time, they were on their way. Alec drove, while James took the passenger seat and Q sat in the back – which was just fine with Q, as Alec had the tendency to drive like a maniac and so that meant the back was probably the safest place to be. He leaned his head against the cool glass of the window, watching the trees pass by. There were so many of them. Moneypenny really had sent them to the middle of nowhere.

He drifted off to sleep at some point and only roused when the truck stopped moving, though he didn’t open his eyes even when the comforting rumble turned off. That seemed like too much effort. His short nap hadn’t helped to take the edge of the exhaustion. If anything, the nap had only made the depths of his fatigue that much more noticeable. He never wanted to move again.

“You want to grab Q and I’ll get the bags?” James said, his voice sounding far away even though he wasn’t. He sounded as tired as Q felt.

“Sure,” Alec said. “Guess we should sweep the cabin too.”

“Yeah, maybe we should leave Q in the truck while you do that. I’ll get the bags out,” said James, opening his door. Then Alec opened his door and they both got out, leaving Q in a comfortable silence. Q sighed and shifted slightly, then let himself drift back to sleep.

The next thing he knew, the door he was comfortably leaning against was wrenched open. The seatbelt was the only thing that stopped him from falling out of the car. Then Alec was there, bracing Q’s body with his own as he reached down to unfasten said seatbelt. Q kept his eyes shut, letting Alec take his weight and slide him out of the vehicle. He draped his arms over Alec’s shoulder and hid his face against the lights.

“I know, you’re tired. But a bed will be much more comfortable than a truck,” Alec murmured, running his hand through Q’s hair. He shut the truck door and walked forward, then climbed a few steps.

“There’s sheets on the bed already. You can get him ready and put him down,” James said. “I’ve put our bags in the room.”

“Thanks,” Alec said, already walking again. His hand patted at Q’s bottom and he sighed. “Ah, Q. You should’ve been wearing a nappy. That was a long flight.”

Q screwed his nose up rather than respond to that, but he wasn’t surprised when the first thing that Alec did was strip him out of his clothing and get him into a fresh nappy. As he often did when they shared a bed and heat could be an issue, Alec forewent pyjamas and instead just put a t-shirt on Q. Then he took Q’s glasses off, set them on the nightstand, and pressed a teddy bear into Q’s arms and a dummy into Q’s mouth.

“Sleep,” he whispered, kissing Q’s brow. “James and I won’t be long behind you.” He pulled the blankets up around Q’s shoulders as he spoke, then smoothed Q’s hair down. He backed away and the lights of the room flicked off a moment later.

The bed was indeed more comfortable than the truck, but Q couldn’t bring himself to sleep without his caregivers. He curled up around his bear and closed his eyes, trying not to dwell on everything that had happened. Normally that would’ve been a tall order, but he was tired enough that his brain didn’t have the capacity to really think about anything. He drifted.

It seemed like no time at all before the mattress sank beside him; the movement brought with it the familiar and welcome scent of James’s cologne. Q forced an eye open and took in the fuzzy sight of broad shoulders and dark hair. James must have noticed that he was still awake, because a big hand came to rest on top of Q’s head. Q leaned into it.

“Daddy,” he mumbled. “Papa?”

There was a split second of silence before, sounding like he was speaking from far away, James said, “We’re here, Q. Go back to sleep.”

“Seems like those new nicknames are here to stay,” Alec said from somewhere behind Q, and James gave a quiet laugh in reply. Q tried to stay awake, knowing that the resulting conversation was going to be important even if he lacked the cognitive function to grasp why, but now that they were both here, he sank quickly and fully into sleep.

Late morning sunlight on his face woke Q from a sound asleep. He made a face and grumbled, rolling over to hide in a pillow that smelled like the shampoo Alec favoured when he wasn’t on a mission. He stayed there for a couple more minutes, trying in vain to fall back asleep, but the sunlight on the bed was quickly making everything too hot. He kicked the covers off with a frustrated huff.

“I’d say that means you’re awake,” James said, and Q lifted his head to squint. A familiar shape moved towards his eyes and he lifted his hand to slide his glasses on, bringing James’s face and body into sharper focus. Instantly, Q remembered what he’d said last night. Alec and James might have kindly told him that they didn’t mind, but he hadn’t decided how _he_ felt about it yet.

All hope that that might have been a dream fled out the window when he looked into James’ eyes and remembered it clearly. His face burned.

“Yeah,” he muttered, mortified and dropping his gaze.

“Papa is making breakfast,” James went on. “So, I hope that you’re hungry.”

“Wh-what?” Q squeaked, tensing and turning even redder. He regretted his big mouth even more now as he dared to peek up.

James was smiling, his expression far kinder than anyone would’ve thought possible as he said, “I told you before that it’s alright, Q. I guess it was a little too much for you at the time, which is understandable, so I’m telling you again.”

“But – you –”

“It’s alright,” James said again, gentler this time. “Alec and I don’t mind. We’re your caregivers, so it’s natural that you’d want to call us that. And I’ve been thinking about it, and I realized that it probably helps you to keep things clearer, doesn’t it?”

Mutely, Q nodded. It had been easier when James and Alec were “Bond” and “Trevelyan” or “006” and “007” and nothing more. But he hadn’t referred to either of them that way in months. They were James and Alec now whether they were in the office or outside of it, and sometimes that did make it harder to differentiate what they were to him in and out of his headspace. But he had never expected –

“But that’s not the only reason we’re okay with it. I was being honest when I told you that I liked it. And I think it makes Alec feel really good. You should’ve seen the look on his face when you called him ‘Papa’ last night. He was over the moon with excitement,” James said with a crooked smile. “Neither of us have ever had that kind of relationship with a Little.”

“But Alec had Svetlana,” Q said, startled into speaking.

“He did, but… well, you know their relationship was complicated at best. I don’t think it ever progressed that far.” James sighed before smiling again. “That’s why you’re so special to both of us.”

Q flushed, embarrassed. It wasn’t like James to be so blunt. He fiddled with the hem of his shirt. “You… really don’t mind?” he asked in a whisper. To him, using those nicknames signified a huge step forward in their relationship. It was something, if not officially permanent, then far less fleeting than before.

For the first time, he thought that maybe Alec _would’ve_ stuck around even if James had passed away.

“No, not at all. You can call me that whenever you want. I plan to be here with you and Alec for a long time.” James’s eyes were serious but kind, and the hard knot in Q’s chest eased slightly. He could tell that James meant what he said. 

“Okay,” Q said slowly. He wasn’t sure he’d feel comfortable using those names all the time right away, but he liked knowing that the opportunity was there if he wanted it to be – though he planned to double check that Alec really didn’t mind first. He didn’t want to go on just James’s word.

“Good. Now let’s get you changed and go have breakfast.”

Q contemplated the matter as he lay back and let James do what needed to be done. Knowing that Alec had had a Little before was surprising in a way, but also not. Alec and James were both in their early forties. Frankly, at their ages, it was much more unusual for a caregiver to not have had a Little. James was the outlier, probably because of his career choice – having a Little when you were in service to the country wasn’t easy.

He didn’t know how he felt about Svetlana. A little jealous, maybe. It sounded like Alec had cared for her a lot, and in some ways Alec probably still did. But he was also mature enough to recognize that Svetlana had died a long time and that pretty much everything in Alec’s life had changed since then: he’d met James, defected from the enemy and joined MI6, and then met Q. 

And then… everything else had happened. That overwhelmed feeling rose up again as Q shuffled into the kitchen behind James. James being poisoned, R’s betrayal, being outed to all of MI6, then James being cured, followed shortly by the information about Svetlana and now this… even though the latest development was undoubtedly a good thing, it was still a lot to handle when he considered _just how much_ had happened.

“Q?”

He looked up to find Alec standing in front of him, holding a bowl of porridge. Whatever was in Q’s face made Alec immediately set the bowl down and pull him into a hug. Q went with, gulping hard, and buried his face in Alec’s shirt even though it made the frames of his glasses dig unpleasantly into his cheeks. 

“What’s wrong?” Alec asked, cupping the back of Q’s head.

“Everything,” Q said thickly, closing his eyes. 

“Hmm, that is a lot,” Alec agreed. “But Q… you don’t have to worry about everything. You’re not alone in this. That’s why Daddy and are I here.”

Q startled a little; the word sounded strange in Alec’s accent, but not unpleasant. He lifted his head slightly and had to reach up to readjust his glasses before he could get a look at Alec’s face. What he found was an expression similar to the one that James had been wearing: kind and far more open than he would have expected.

“I know I’ve failed you as a caregiver for the last couple of weeks, and maybe even before that,” Alec said quietly. “That was my own fault and I accept full responsibility for it. I want to do better for you. I _will_ do better for you, okay?”

Q wanted to tell him that it wasn’t purely Alec’s fault, and that even a caregiver-Little relationship was a two-way street, and that Q had done some failing of his own over the past two weeks. But he thought that if he spoke, he might cry. His throat was starting to ache with the effort of holding it in.

“So, don’t think about it right now. We can make a plan before we go back to London on how we’re going to handle things. Moneypenny will help too, I’m sure, even if we didn’t want her to.” Alec smirked. 

“Yeah,” Q said, and it came out all wobbly. He sniffed and blinked rapidly, but it did little to stem the tears that were welling up.

“Come here, Kotenok,” Alec murmured, tightening his grip. Into Q’s ear, he whispered, “It’s okay… Daddy and Papa are here now, and we’re not going to let anything else happen to you.”

And for a few precious minutes, Q let himself believe it.


	3. Chapter 3

They ate breakfast together, just the three of them, out on the porch. It was quiet and green and golden in a way that London never was; Alec could tell that Q was just a little uncomfortable at all of the nature surrounding them, a fact which was both amusing and adorable. He supposed that he shouldn’t have been surprised, considering that Q spent the majority of his time secluded indoors.

When the last bite of food had been eaten, James yawned and said, “I think I might take a nap.”

“What?” said Q.

“You?” Alec said at the same time, unable to keep the skepticism from his voice.

James rolled his eyes at both of them. “You heard me. I did just get out of the hospital like a day ago. I’m supposed to be taking it easy, remember?”

“I’m starting to think that coma gave you brain damage,” Alec said, narrowing his eyes. The James Bond that he knew didn’t even know what the word “easy” meant.

“I’m _fine_ ,” James said, shooting him a look. “I’m just tired. We didn’t exactly get a lot of sleep last night.”

That was true, Alec had to admit. It had been late by the time he and James finished talking, and even later by the time both of them had unwound enough to fall asleep. Even Q looked more tired than usual, though he’d been asleep a while before James and Alec. He wondered whether they should all go back upstairs for a nap – but he was more restless than tired, and he didn’t think putting Q down would be that easy –

“So I think you two should go for a walk,” James said.

“A walk?” Q repeated, looking around at the bushes and trees like he thought something might bite him.

“Yes, a walk. That way I can have some peace and quiet.” The words were accompanied by another significant look at Alec, and he quickly grasped what James wasn’t saying. A walk would give Alec and Q the perfect opportunity to talk without James around.

Which in theory was great.

In practice?

“Sure… we can do that,” Alec said unenthusiastically, already imagining the ways in which this could potentially go wrong. 

Words weren’t his strong point by any stretch of the imagination. Between the two of them, James was much better at expressing himself verbally. Alec was much better at intimidation and explosions, neither of which were going to help him with Q. Right now things were tentatively okay, but it would be all too easy to say the wrong thing and chase Q away forever, just like he had with Svetlana. The thought made his stomach rolled.

James gripped his arm, drawing Alec’s attention to him. The compassion and understanding in James’s eyes made Alec breathe a bit easier, and he reminded himself that James wouldn’t have suggested the walk if James had even the slightest inkling that this could go south. James cared too much about both Q and Alec for that. Still, that knowledge did little to lessen the butterflies in his stomach.

They took the dishes inside and cleaned up. Then Alec followed James into the bedroom, grabbing a sweatshirt and pulling it on. He took the opportunity to slip a package into the front of his shirt, then turned to James. His partner said nothing, but the way he pulled Alec close and laid a surprisingly gentle kiss on Alec’s mouth spoke volumes. Alec swallowed, nodded, and went.

“Where are we exactly?” Q asked as the two of them went down the steps.

“I’m not really sure. Why?” Alec said, curious.

“I need to know if there are any wild animals around to be concerned about,” Q said, with an expression of such utter seriousness that Alec had to swallow a laugh.

“We’ll be fine if we stick to the marked paths. I’m used to being outdoors; we’ll be okay,” he said kindly. He had spent plenty of weeks camping out for missions, and so had grown used to this sort of thing. Sometimes London, with all of its tall buildings and dreary days, could even feel a little claustrophobic.

“Okay,” Q said, doubtful but trusting, and followed Alec down the path.

They walked in silence for a little while. Alec contemplated what sort of subjects would be best to talk about. He wasn't great at small talk, but he also wasn't sure that it was best to jump right into the heavy topics. He watched Q out of the corner of his eye, trying to discern Q's mood. But it was hard to tell when Q looked so uncomfortable and kept visibly jumping whenever the wind rustled against the leaves or a stick cracked. Alec couldn't help smiling, even as he felt a little bad. This was way outside of Q's comfort zone. Moneypenny probably couldn't have picked a worse location for Q.

But maybe Q could learn to have some fun. Maybe that was _why_ Moneypenny had sent them here: away from computers and anything else that had to do with Q's job. Alec thought for a moment, then reached out and took Q's hand. Q turned to look at him in surprise, eyebrows furrowed, but it was only for a moment before a small smile crossed his face. His long, slender fingers wrapped securely around Alec's hand and he stepped closer, until their shoulders were bumping together.

"Did you know that your daddy and I once had to go camping undercover?" Alec asked.

"No," Q said, looking intrigued. "I didn't know that he ever went undercover."

Alec nodded and gently swung their hands. "It doesn't happen very often, or at least it doesn't happen for long periods of time. James is great at blending in for a little while, but something about him always stands out. He attracts attention."

"So... I'm guessing your undercover mission didn't go well, then," said Q.

"It didn't, but not for the reasons you think," Alec said with a poorly surpressed smirk. "He'll murder me for telling you this, but did you know that 007 is afraid of spiders?"

There was a pause while Q absorbed this. Then he said, "Seriously?"

"Seriously. He'll put on a front if anyone else is around, but if it's just the two of us he'll scream like a little girl," Alec said, grinning at the memory. "And it just so happened that we were camping in Australia..."

Q's eyes widened. "Oh god."

Alec snickered. "It was _so_ bad," he said gleefully, and launched into a detailed rendition of the story that had their cover blown, their tent blown to pieces, and 007 in nothing more than a tattered, singed pair of boxed when a pissed-off M showed up to collect them from the Australian authorities. The sound of Q's laughter was well worth the attempt that would later be made on Alec's life. 

"I didn't know that," Q said, catching his breath. His wide smile made his eyes shine. "I thought for sure a story like that would've made its way around MI6."

"Well, us 00-agents try to keep stories like that pretty close to the vest. Damages our reputations," Alec explained. He tried to remember what James had done to get M to keep the whole sordid affair a secret, but drew a blank. Knowing M, it would have been something pretty outrageous... and he was frankly shocked that she hadn't let the rumor spread regardless. Perhaps she'd been keeping it to herself to be used at a later date, but had passed away before that moment arrived.

"That's true, but you know... stories like that also humanize you," Q pointed out. "Sometimes the 00-agents seem more like, I dunno, scary monster stories than actual people."

"For the most part, that's not such a bad thing," Alec said gently. The fact that their reputations proceeded them often made their jobs easier. But when it came to Q, he could see the value in sharing more. He didn't want Q thinking of them as scary 00-agents. That wasn't the role they wanted to play with Q.

"I guess," Q said. His pensive expression back. Alec had much preferred the smile.

"You know, Q, James and I really do love you," he said impulsively, and Q looked at him in shock. "I know it's easier for James to show that. He's good at words. I'm not. And after what happened with Svetlana, I sort of stopped trying. James spoils me; he gets what I'm trying to say without any effort on my part. I forgot that you're not him. I forgot I actually had to open my mouth and speak for you to understand me. I forgot how much work that is, and how bad I am at it." He made a face at himself. "But I'm willing to try because it's you, because you're my Little."

Q swallowed, his eyes glassy. "Thank you. I... I still think that it was partially my fault. Maybe you didn't say anything, but I didn't either. I was too worried that I would be imposing on you."

"Q, trust me. James and I would speak up if you ever imposed on us," Alec replied. 

"I know that logically, but it's not always so easy to convince my brain of that," Q said. 

Alec nodded, having expected that, and reached into his sweatshirt. "Well, here. I have a little reminder that you can keep on you."

"You got me something?" Q whispered, accepting the package. He unwrapped it and stared at the contents. Inside was a keychain with a small bear attached.

"I thought it was small and subtle enough that you can keep it with you," Alec explained. "When James and I can't be there, you can hold it and know that... you know..." He found himself floundering and awkwardly looked away.

So he was caught off guard when Q lurched forward and threw his arms around Alec's shoulders, but he quickly regained himself and wrapped his arms securely around Q. His heart warmed as Q began to cry. 

"Thank you, Papa," Q said between sobs.

"You're welcome, Kotenok," Alec said, pressing a kiss to the top of Q's head. "The nature of our jobs means we won't always be together, but James and I will _always_ come back. We'll always want you. You don't have to worry about us finding someone else, or not wanting you anymore."

Q sniffed, quieting. He was silent for a moment, then admitted softly, “I’ve had a few different Caregivers other the years.”

“Have you,” said Alec, unsurprised by that. Most Littles didn’t get to be Q’s age without having had at least one or two Caregivers, even if they had been trying to keep it under wraps like Q. He wondered if Q had run into a situation like he and Svetlana, where a Caregiver had tried to pressure Q to come forward –

“Yeah. It was never – like, we didn’t click in a huge way, but it was nice. They always ended things, though. They said I was too needy.” Q’s voice was barely audible. “And then my career started taking off, so in the end it didn’t matter… I didn’t want to have a caregiver just in case they ended up giving me away.”

“But you agreed to be with me and James,” Alec said.

“You were different. You’re both MI6.” Q sighed and wiped his face. “It was really hard having a caregiver that I had to hide things from. Too hard. It just wasn’t worth it. You two… you knew what was stake for me. You knew what it mean if I got find out.” He looked away, smiling bitterly. “And also I needed the help.”

“We were happy to help you. You’re not too needy, Q, not at all.” It made Alec angry to think that someone had ever dismissed Q that way. He might not have a lot of experience at successful relationships, but he did know that everyone in the relationship was supposed to be able to get everything they needed from one.

“Thank you,” Q said again, running his fingers under his glasses to dry his eyes. Alec couldn’t tell if Q fully believed him when he said that Q wasn’t needy, but that was alright. Time would be the best proof that Alec and James weren’t going anywhere. If the three of them could weather this bullshit with R and Blofield, then they’d be able to get through anything.

And in the meantime…

He grinned at Q. “Have I ever told you about the time that James and I accidentally dyed M’s hair purple?”


	4. Chapter 4

Alec hummed softly under his breath as he made his way back towards the cabin; Q was a solid, warm weight on his back, arms draped loosely around Alec’s neck and head resting on Alec’s shoulder. He wasn’t sure if Q was sleeping or if he was just resting, but either way the kid had zero interest in walking the rest of the way. Not that Alec was surprised. He’d been expecting the events of the past few weeks to hit Q _hard_.

And also, this was nice. The sky was clear and cloudless, he could hear the sounds of birds and animals around them, and Q was safe. Alec had been in far worse situations.

James was sitting out on the porch waiting for them, not that he would ever admit that. The tense expression on his face melted into a smile when he saw them approaching, but Alec still took notice of it. He raised an eyebrow at James in question. By way of response, James gestured at Q and then nodded at the house. Alec took the hint and went inside.

Now certain that Q was well and truly asleep, Alec changed him and then settled him down into their bed. He gently took off Q’s glasses and set them on the nightstand before backing out of the room. He ducked into the kitchen long enough to grab himself a beer and then joined James out on the porch. He left the door open a crack in case Q cried out and then slung himself down in the chair opposite his partner.

“Alright, let’s hear it,” he said heavily. “What’s happened?”

“R is dead,” James said without preamble.

“Shit,” Alec muttered, taking a long swig of his beer. The liquid burned pleasantly against his dry throat as he swallowed. He closed his eyes, holding the cold bottle to his forehead.

He couldn’t say that he was surprised. Really, he supposed he should have been expecting it. R had pissed off a lot of people when she betrayed MI6, and Q in particular. Q seemed perpetually oblivious to it, but a lot of MI6’s agents held him in very high regard. They were protective of him even before they knew that he was a Little; now that that tidbit of information was out, Alec suspected that protectiveness was going to increase tenfold.

M seemed to think that R was going to be tried and convicted for her actions, or at least that they would have the chance to interrogate her more thoroughly. Evidently someone else had different plans. The only real question was who had got to R first. Had it been an MI6 agent – possibly even a 00-agent – or Blofield? He cracked an eye and squinted at James.

“It was Blofield,” James said, knowing what Alec was going to ask. “Or at least, that’s what Moneypenny said. And I think she’s the only person who would know for sure whether it was someone at MI6.”

“Hmm,” Alec said non-committedly. Moneypenny had her ear to the ground, it was true. But not even she knew everything. Alec could think of a few candidates, like 001 and 005, who could put R in the ground with a well-placed bullet and never breathe a word of it.

In the end, he supposed it didn’t matter who had done it. The fact of the matter was that R was dead, which was both good and bad. On the one hand, she could no longer hurt Q. On the other hand, she had taken whatever she knew about Blofield to the grave. Not that Alec thought she had known much, but at this point any extra information about Blofield would’ve been helpful.

James sighed and picked up his whiskey, knocking it back. “Moneypenny’s pissed.”

“About what happened to R, or about the fact that you’re drinking when you’re not supposed to be?” Alec asked.

“Shut up,” James said without heat.

Alec smirked into his beer. “Does she want us back?”

“God no. She specifically said that we were not to come back early. She threatened to shoot me again if we did,” James said, rolling his eyes.

“I’m not sure Wood could handle having you back in Medical,” Alec muttered.

“I’ll have you know I’m a very good patient.”

“Yeah right,” Alec said, snorting. 

They looked at each other for a moment.

“How are we going to tell Q?” James said finally, setting his empty glass down. 

“I don’t know.” It was Alec’s turn to sigh. He leaned forward, running his free hand through his hair. 

He and James were both familiar with betrayal. Based on what Q had told him – and the things that Q _hadn’t_ said – he thought that Q probably was too. Yet that familiarity never made betrayal sting any less. Q an R had worked together for months. They weren’t close, but they were had been co-workers. Acquaintances. Perhaps even friends. And now R was dead. That was going to hurt.

“I hate this,” James said.

“James…”

“We’re meant to be protecting him, Alec. Instead, it feels like all we ever do is react too late.” James exhaled in frustration, sitting back in his chair. 

“We are protecting him. Can you imagine how Q would’ve reacted if R had outed him before we started taking care of him?” Alec shuddered, only partially exaggerating. There was no doubt in his mind that such an event would have ended up in a breakdown for Q. 

But he also knew what James meant. They were agents. They were used to reacting with guns in combat. Right now, the only thing they could do was care for Q, and that was frustrating. He wanted to find Blofield and take the man out just as badly as James did. He wanted to make sure that Blofield would _never_ be able to hurt James or Q ever again.

“I know. And you’re right. It’s just… I want to do more,” James said.

“You and me both,” Alec said, polishing off the remainder of his beer. He wondered if there was more that they could be doing. But what? It wasn’t like they could stay away from MI6 forever. Q was the Quartermaster. Without R, he would be needed more than ever. MI6 could manage without two 00-agents, but without its Quartermaster?

They sat in silence for a little while. Alec stared out at the forest, but the tranquillity of the scenery had been spoiled. He couldn’t find it in himself to enjoy it as much as he had before. He couldn’t help wondering what Blofield was going to do next. He had already kidnapped Q and poisoned James. James was right. They were being too reactive. They needed to start being proactive. 

But how? Especially when they had Q to worry about. They weren’t just 00-agents anymore; they had to figure out how to juggle their jobs and Q – and in a situation like this, when there were others at MI6 who could take on tracking down Blofield, their first priority really should be Q. But that was hard to reconcile when their only priority had been their jobs for so long…

Hearing a sound, Alec turned quickly. He wasn’t surprised to see that Q was standing there, rubbing at his eyes. It hadn’t taken him and James long to figure out that Q didn’t sleep well when he was alone. Usually when he went down for a nap, he had one or both of his cats to sleep with. Apparently, a teddy bear just didn’t cut it.

“What’s going on?” Q asked through a yawn, eyes darting from James to Alec. Because of course, he wasn’t so sleepy that he couldn’t figure out something was wrong.

“Come here, Q,” James said, patting his lap.

Q’s eyes narrowed slightly but he obeyed, padding bare foot across the deck. He perched awkwardly on James’s knee, looking at the empty glass on the table with a faint frown.

“Were you drinking?” he asked, nudging the glass with a finger.

“No,” James lied.

“Daddy,” Q said, looking about as stern as a boy whose curls were in complete disarray could look. It was absolutely adorable. Alec had to cover his mouth to hide his smile.

“I had one whiskey,” James admitted.

“You can hold out through torture, but one look from Q and you break,” Alec said.

James shot him a glare. “I’d like to see you hold out.”

“Why were you drinking?” Q said before Alec could retort. The light-hearted atmosphere died away quickly as James and Alec exchanged looks. Finally, James sighed.

“While you and Alec were out, Moneypenny got into contact. R is dead, Q.”

It seemed to take a few seconds for the information to sink in. 

“What?” Q whispered finally.

“It happened while she was being transported to another facility. She was shot. They think it was a professional assassin,” James said as gently as he could. 

A professional assassin meant a head shot. R had probably been dead before anyone even realized what was going on. It would’ve been chaos, especially if the agents transporting her weren’t used to dealing with that sort of thing. No wonder the assassin hadn’t been caught, Alec thought. He really should’ve insisted that a 00-agent be on site when R was being transported, but the thought of an assassination hadn’t even crossed his mind.

Maybe the stress really was getting to them.

“She knew too much,” Q said, very quietly, and it wasn’t a question, but James nodded.

“Yes, that seems like the most likely reason.”

“Did they catch the person?” Q asked.

“No. They’re launching a search, but it’s unlikely whoever did it will be found,” James told him.

Q nodded, probably having expected that – he was more than smart enough to come to the same conclusions that James and Alec already had. Alec watched him closely, uncertain how Q was going to react. He was surprised when Q took a deep breath and shrugged.

“So that’s that, then,” he said with what was obviously forced calm.

“It’s okay to be upset that R’s dead, Q,” Alec said kindly. “She was your co-worker for a long time.”

“She tried to kill James,” Q said sharply. She had also outed Q’s classification all of MI6, but Q didn’t bring that up and so neither did Alec.

“I know. But that doesn’t change the fact that you cared about her,” Alec said. “It’s okay to mourn the friend you thought you had.” 

For a moment he thought that it wasn’t going to work, and he started to wonder what else he could say to let Q know that it was okay. But then Q’s blank expression cracked. His chin trembled. He blinked rapidly. His nose scrunched up. A quiet sob escaped.

“Oh, Q,” James said, pulling him into a hug as Q began to cry.

Alec breathed a sigh of relief at the show of emotion. The last thing they needed was Q trying to pent everything up inside. It was bad enough that he and James had the tendency to do that. As it was, Q had already been holding things in over the past couple of weeks. They were on the vacation so all of them could relax and _release_ , not the other way around.

He sat patiently by for a few minutes while James comforted Q, then quietly got up and went into the kitchen. He and Q had been gone on their walk for longer than he realized, and he figured Q was probably thirty. He dug a bottle out and filled it with juice, then grabbed another couple of beers. One beer wasn't going to kill James, and right now all three of them needed comfort more than anything. So, he also ducked into the bedroom and picked up Q's teddy bear, tucking it under his arm as he made his way back out onto the porch.

"Here," he said, setting the teddy bear in Q's lap. He passed the baby bottle to James and then took a seat, cracking open both beers. At first Q didn't want the bottle, but James was pretty good at getting him to drink even when he didn't want to; he flipped Q onto his back and had the nipple in Q's mouth before Q even knew what was happening. The little pout on Q's face as he started drinking was too cute. 

"You're indulging me," James said when he saw the extra beer.

Alec shrugged. "Might as well. We're here to relax and have fun, right? None of us can do anything about what's happening back in London right now even if we wanted to. R is gone, which isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"Alec," James said sharply.

"What? It's the truth. If she was still around, she was going to be dragged through interrogation, trial, and prison. Blofield probably did her a favour in the end," Alec said, taking a sip of his beer. "Especially since I don't know that R would have handled prison well." He hadn't known the old bint well, but she'd always struck him as the prim and proper sort. MI6's prisons were anything but, especially since she probably would have been in solitary most of the time to protect her from the other prisoners. They wouldn't have been pleased at finding a former MI6 worker in their midst, even if it was just a member of Q-branch.

James sighed. "You're not wrong, but now isn't the time for that," he said with a meaningful look down at Q. Q's mouth might have been occupied, but his eyes were darting back and forth between Alec and James as he drank.

"I'm just saying," Alec said, though he knew James was right. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. Part of him was glad that Moneypenny had contacted them and been upfront about what had happened, but another, bigger part of him wished Moneypenny had kept the information under wraps until they returned. But then again, that would've left them in the dark. In the event that Blofield decided to come after them, it was imperative that all three of them be fully informed...

"I think we should go down to the beach," James said as Q finished with his bottle.

"There's a beach around here?" Alec said in surprise, and James nodded.

"I was looking at a map of the area while you were gone. The water's probably a bit cold yet to swim, but we could go wading and play in the sand," said James. Alec had to swallow a laugh at the idea of James playing in the sand, even though he knew that if Q wanted it, both of them would be right there in the sand with him.

"What do you think, Q?" he asked, looking at their baby.

Q shrugged. He wasn't crying anymore, but he seemed very withdrawn as he let the nipple slide out of his mouth. Quietly, he said, "Sure."

"I'll get changed," James said, getting up. He took his beer inside with him. Alec glanced over at Q, who was now staring at the ground and cuddling his bear. He thought that Q was probably just overwhelmed more than anything. R's death was just one more thing on top of everything else. So maybe James was right, and a distraction was the best thing they could do.

"Come on, Kotenok. Papa will give you another ride," he declared, finishing off his beer in three long pulls. He got up and moved to kneel in front of Q's chair. A second later, thin arms wound around his neck. Alec gripped Q's knees and steadied him as he stood up, letting Q's weight rest against his back.

"What about Daddy?" Q asked.

"He'll catch up," Alec said, walking down the steps. Sure enough, they'd only gone a couple hundred feet before James jogged up to them.

"Trying to leave without me, huh?" he said, lightly poking Q's knee.

"Papa wanted to," Q said.

"Thanks for throwing me to the wolves," Alec said jokingly.

"I'm hardly a wolf," James said. 

"I don't know about that. You bite like one," said Alec.

James sighed loudly. "Okay, that was _one time_. When are you going to let it go?"

"Right about the time that the scar on my butt heals?" Alec said.

"We were in the middle of a war zone and you still can't forgive me!"

"Is this a story like the one where you were camping?" Q asked.

"You told him?" James exclaimed, looking horrified.

Alec smirked at him. "We were bonding, just like you wanted."

"You little -!" James lunged for him and Alec laughed, breaking into a run. He could hear James running after them, and he was certain that James would catch up and that Alec would regret it when he did, but none of that mattered. Because Q was giggling in his ear, and that was the most wonderful sound in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](https://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


End file.
